Wednesday, November 24, 2010

DiSGRACe, 11/20 & 21/10, NYC

I guess the shows technically started on the 21st & 22nd after Midnight, but the tickets still say 20th & 21st. If you're still reading this, you don't give a shit either. Good.

SATURDAY, 11/20/10

With the sad and unfortunate situation that led to moe. rescheduling their Mischief Night show from 10/30 to 12/4 (IT'S HALLOWEEN IN DECEMBER, FUCKERS! Get your tickets!), it was really cool that we'd still be treated to these special acoustical evenings of DiSGRACe: the honorable Al Schnier, Chuck "is Satan" Garvey, and the affable Rob Derhak (3/5 of moe., if you didn't get that yet). Both NYC shows were scheduled as post-Further Furthur (who were at MSG) events, which is why they started so late- but late night moe. sets are an NYC tradition. To quote my Mother on Saturday, the timing was "just like the old days."

I ran into Lil' Topper outside the Ace of Clubs, where we saw the 20-Years-In-The-Future-Crackhead-Scott-Bernstein (taper) crossing Great Jones, wheeling a bag (taper gear too??), and wildly screaming upwards at nothing/no one in particular. Bizaaaarro! Hern showed up, slightly irate cuz he left Son of Screaming Chicken at home. Oh no. There wasn't enough time to get Lil' Topper a tattoo^, but we did head into the Acme and start on the tequila.

We were finally allowed downstairs into the Ace of Clubs after Midnight (doors were originally scheduled at 11). It's a small room. A really small room. They did a really good job capping the ticket sales to keep the attendance reasonable. The show was sold out, but there was more than enough room to move around (I heard many tickets were unclaimed at will-call, but have no idea if there's any truth to that.).

Seriously, do you know where Flat Topper has been?

In honor of the Furthur shows, they started out with a traditional tune that the Dead happen to cover, Lil' Sadie (around 12:30AM). It was a mellow start to the show, but what followed, started getting down and dirty! Downward Facing Dog, a super-fun Akimbo. Then, the most beautiful version of Wildflowers (Tom Petty) EVER. Holy shit. Jaw droppingly good. A sweet and homey It.

I took a breather in the back of the room during Karma Police. Then it sounded like they were starting Plane Crash, so I hung back for about 20 seconds--- until I realized it was freaking LAZARUS! At this exact moment I managed to dart right into some sweet real estate up front to rock out for the duration of this brilliant Lazarus.

Ace of Clubs can be a tricky room for a short person. The speakers on either side of the stage are REALLY loud and point kinda inward, but at an exaggerated angle cuz the room is so teeny. So you may have a great view on the outskirts, but it might be waaaay too loud to enjoy. I felt comfy in my new spot, not going deaf- and stayed there.

New York City was cute. Tailspin rocked, but is a little odd without the drums. Queen of Everything just rules no matter what format, so, totes awesome. Mexico was really fun and there was a nice sing-along going.

They encored with a really groovin' Billy Goat and a That Country Tune which I honestly cannot recall any specifics of.

The crowd was well behaved for the most part. The intimate format somehow makes people think it's okay to start full conversations with the band in between songs. It doesn't really work that way, but DiSGRACe were polite about it. There were a couple of times during the show that the volume of ambient talking in the room was creeping over the volume of music, but it was late and people were shit-faced. What are ya gonna do?

The one long set format worked well in this post-show late-night-start world. They played relatively the same amount of music they would have played if it were 2 sets, but they didn't take a break. Really nothing to bitch about. Shit man, it was late. I was sleepytimes.

And it was time to do it all over again! The cup of Darjeeling tea at 8pm would give me the rocket boost needed to fly straight through til early morning.

I couldn't get up Sullivan Street because Salvo was attempting the difficult "narrow street parallel park"- that's the one where parked cars line either side of a narrow Village street. It's a tricky one at 11pm on a Sunday. Even an expert parallel parker like myself sometimes doesn't feel like putting the effort into it. Which is why I pulled into a space a block up instead of dealing. But not before sticking my head out the window and giving Salvo a ton of shit for holding up traffic.

Doors opened late (duh), but the scene on the line was pretty fun and very enjoyable. Yeah, realistically, we all knew that DiSGRACe weren't getting onstage before Midnight, but I like heading in and getting situated (baffroom, tequila, and that night- a good spot Chuck.side!). Throw in a Red Bull for Mark to make it through the next couple of hours and it was showtime in no time!

They opened with a stellar Time Again, which I'm always psyched to hear. Still happy it's back. A great St. Augustine with a big crowd sing-along. A bouncy Shake Your Hips to keep the place dancing. A sweet and lovely Where Does The Time Go? Dark dark Haze. Cornflake Girl, which I like better acoustic and had a real feel going for it this time around. Sentimental Letter Home, like a giant hug. Really rockin' Deep This Time. A fun little new jaunt called Little Miss Cup Half Empty- like moe. channeling the Beatles drinking rum and writing a reggae tune. It's catchy. The wonderful and legendary cowboy ballad Shoot First (Chuck was ON, yo.) ->Moth, very fun, both with huge sing-alongs.

"we're gonna sing a song about our feelings, now." - DiSGRACe

Encores: an awesome Fixing A Hole (Beatles). REALLY AWESOME! Then a feelgood Okayalright to close out the DiSGRACe Tour. Great stuff!

There's a dance club underneath Sullivan Hall and the blaring techno beats were a constant presence (especially in-between songs). The band staged a brief impromptu acoustic techno dance party that would have made Strong Bad proud. You'll just have to listen to the recording for that hidden gem!

There were a couple of people in between Rob and Al who were getting out of hand with the rudeness/obliviousness. One dude wouldn't stop talking to Rob, who was being really good about not punching him in the face. Eventually this guy was corralled by security and physically escorted to the back of the room. I am unclear whether or not this was the same guy who was calling Rob a pussy during the show. "Rob, you're a pussy!" - Some Guy. Yeah, Rob definitely made the conscious decision not to punch at least one dude in the face (perhaps more). The restraint of a ninja, that one.

Poor Chuck was at the end of the stage that juts out onto the floor. One guy kept tapping him on the shoulder and again- attempting full conversation. Don't make Satan kick you in the head. Someone near me suggested they play behind a chain-link fence. DiSGRACe should definitely consider this for the next tour. They could either put wheels on the bottom for easy transit from city-to-city or just add it to the Rider.

It was a really fun and DiSGRACeful weekend, full of friends and sweet sweet music. SUC-CESS! DiSGRACe, 11/20 & 21/10 or 11/21 & 22/10: 9 HUZZAHS!!

And I'm not just saying that because their t-shirt features a clown leaving a balloon-art poop in a toilet... but that does help.